An appeal court in France has ruled that women who had defective breast implants made by the company Poly Implant Prothese (PIP implants) should receive compensation.
It comes following a long-running legal battle lasting more than ten years.
The case was brought forward by around 2,700 women, with 540 of them from the UK, who said they had experienced long-term physical and mental health problems after receiving the implants filled with cheap, industrial-grade silicone which was not cleared for human use.
The PIP implants had been certified as safe by a German company, TUV Rheinland who were found to have been negligent in an earlier judgement. This ruling was upheld by the appeal court.
It is expected that the rulings will have far-reaching implications for other victims.
Globally around 300,000 from more than 65 countries have been affected by problems with the PIP implants that were manufactured by the French firm.
Between 2001 and 2010 the substandard implants were manufactured by Poly Implants. The company was liquidated in 2010 and its founder was later given a prison sentence after it emerged the implants were filled with cheap, industrial-grade silicone which was not cleared for human use.
Latin America was the worst hit, in particular Colombia, where there are estimated to be 60,000 victims. Whilst in the UK it is thought 47,000 women are affected.
The lawyer representing the women in the current case is hoping that after a 10-year legal battle, this will be an important moment.
“We will probably reach a turning point. The positive decision will probably put an end to the long period of doubt we have been going through for so many years. And the weight of compensation will be widely open for victims.”
At Knightsbridge Solicitors, we are passionate about helping our clients to get the compensation they deserve following negligent medical treatment.
So, if you think you have suffered due to medical negligence. Please contact a member of our expert team, led by Sadaf Tariq, on 0115 824 1700 for free advice about making a claim.